


Shady Shores

by SophieD



Series: Leverage  Date Nights [5]
Category: Leverage
Genre: Air travel, Chicago, Childhood, Empire, F/F, Family, Femslash, Food, Lake Michigan, Leelanau penninsula, Leland - Freeform, Lesbian Relationship, Michigan, Northport, Portland, S'mores, Traverse city, Wine, cherry pie, date, glen arbor, glen lake, little glen lake, sleeping bear dunes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-19
Updated: 2015-07-19
Packaged: 2018-04-10 03:41:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,935
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4375874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SophieD/pseuds/SophieD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Tara takes Sophie to a place she remembers fondly from her childhood.  Its not exactly Sophie's cup of tea though.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Shady Shores

**Author's Note:**

> I took Sophie and Tara on vacation with me to the real life Shady Shores.   
>  Everything in this story, besides the girls, is based on real experience including Superman ice cream (and Up North classic) and Taco Roulette.   
> Lindy is loosely based on my younger daughter Linden.  
> Love to hear your comments please.

The phone rings at 5am. I reach for it but knock it off the table and under the bed instead. “Bugger!” I mutter. I decide to just leave it. It’s too early for this. If it’s important, they can leave a message. I hear the ‘ding’ telling me the call went to voice mail and flop back down onto my pillow. I’ve just pulled the quilt up over my head when it starts to ring again. “Damn it!” I crawl off the bed and retrieve the phone. I push the ‘talk’ button without checking the caller ID. “This had better be important” I say instead of a greeting. Silence. “Sophie?” “Tara! What the hell? Do you have any idea what time it is?” She still sounds flustered by my accusatory tone. “Um… its 8.” I sigh and check the clock again. “It’s only bloody 5 am.” I almost call her a wanker but change my mind. I’ll wait to see if she’s called about something important before I insult her again.

She answers me with another question. “Where are you?” “Portland Tara. West coast.” “I know where Portland is” she says dryly. “Why are you there?” “Work Tara. A job. Remember? I have one of those.” “Very funny” she says with more than a hint of sarcasm in her voice. “When are you done?” I sigh again. “We’re done. I just stayed over a couple of days to unwind.” I can almost hear her smile. “Good! You’ve got a flight to Traverse City at 10. Under the name Jenny O’Connor. See you there.” She hangs up the phone without any more explanation.

I sigh and sink back into my pillows. So much for my rest and relaxation. And sleeping in. I’m sure Tara has something crazy planned. I send a text to Nate, letting him know that I may be out for a couple of extra days. He’ll be upset that I don’t give him any more information but I don’t have any myself. My choices are to go back to sleep or to play Tara’s little game. While sleep sounds wonderful right now, Tara is always good for some fun. And then there’s the woman’s body. My insides feel all tingly at the thought. Yeah, there really isn’t much to consider. Just like she planned, I’m on my way to…where? Traverse City? Where the bloody Hell is that?”  
I make my flight fine. There are a lot of things I love about Portland. The airport is one of them. Small and efficient. It almost makes up for the lack of direct flights anywhere. As it turns out Tara has me on a flight to Chicago. I ask the flight attendant about Traverse City but she’s not sure. New York maybe.

I stumble off the plane in Chicago and check the monitor. Damn. 40 minutes to make a flight at the other end of O’Hare. I hike my bag up on my shoulder and wish I had brought my running shoes. Tara and I had lots of fun in Chicago a while back. I wonder why we couldn’t just stay here for a couple of days. 

A little bit of luck and a slow jog and I make it to my gate, just in time. I hand over my boarding pass and board the plane, still not sure exactly where I am going. Beautiful. A puddle jumper and no first class. Where the bloody hell is Tara?  
I’ve worked myself into quite a froth planning what I’m going to say to Tara when I finally track her down. The flight is short. From what I can tell, we just crossed over Lake Michigan. What state is that again?   
We land at a tiny airport. Apparently Traverse City is not a major metropolis. I still don’t exactly know where I am. I think I’m going to have to kill Tara. 

Speaking of Tara, where is she anyway? I expected to see her in Chicago. One thing Tara loves is to push the limits of my patience and common decency on a plane. One day she’s going to get both of us in some serious trouble if she can’t learn to keep her hands to herself. The thought makes me smile. After a long day of traveling, I could use a little Tara right now. And speaking of the Blonde Devil, Tara catches me as I move toward the one room terminal. I feel her come up behind me and wrap her arms around my waist. She pulls me tight, stopping me in my tracks. Her breath on my neck gives me shivers. “Welcome to Michigan” she whispers in my ear. I turn into her, planning on giving her a piece of what I’ve worked up for her but, before I can speak, her lips are on mine. I forget everything I wanted to say as I melt into her kiss. “How long has it been?” I ask. She laughs. “Too long Soph. It’s always too long.” “I know” I tell her and I let her kiss me again.

“Did you bring bags?” she asks as we pass through the little baggage claim area. “I did but I’m not sure I brought anything appropriate. I was kind of hoping for something…um…a little more urban.” Tara laughs. “You’re going to love it!” she tells me with a big smile. I shake my head but she doesn’t see me. I’ll indulge her for a bit and then we can discuss something a bit more civilized.

Traverse City is a cute little town and I ask if we can walk the downtown area. Lots of tourists but some of the shops look interesting. And I do like to shop. The beaches on Grand Traverse Bay are beautiful and remind me a bit of France. Of course, we go none of those places. Tara passes by it all and takes a left turn inland. I pull out the map that came with the rental car and try to figure out where we are going. 

It seems as if Traverse City sits at the bottom of a big bay on Lake Michigan. Where Tara turned takes us onto what is called the Leelanau Peninsula, the pinky of the mitten hand people use to describe Michigan. It separates the Grand Traverse Bay from greater Lake Michigan. I can’t see that there is much interesting out there, a couple of small towns and lots of water. 

“So Tara, where exactly are we going?” “Oh you’re going to love it Soph. The resort is called Shady Shores.” “A resort?” Tara looks at me from the corner of her eye. “Yeah that’s what they call it but it’s probably not what you’re thinking.” I give her a look but she ignores me. “And…” I prompt her. She gets animated again. I think it’s cute to see her so excited. I’ll give this Shady Shores place a chance, just for her. 

“It’s wonderful Soph. We used to come up here when I was a kid. They have these cottages that you can rent. The same families come the same week, year after year. It’s almost impossible to get one.” “But you did?” She looks a bit sheepish. “Well no, not really but there was one for sale so I bought it. That way we can come anytime we want.” Bloody hell. So much for indulging her for a day or two. This better be good.

About 20 minutes outside of Traverse City, we come over the crest of a hill and right there in front of us is a gorgeous azure blue lake. Tara starts to squirm in her seat. “I love this! The first glimpse of the lake. We always had contests to see who could see the lake first.” I look at my map again. “What lake is it? Not Lake Michigan?” “No. That’s Big Glen Lake. We’re really close to Lake Michigan though.” The road comes to a T and she turns left, telling me about how famous this M22 highway is. “Just about everyone in the Midwest comes up here at least once in their life. Little Glen Lake, that’s where we’re going to be. And over there” she points “is Sleeping Bear Dunes. It’s really famous and it’s so much fun to run up and down.” 

I shake my head. We had two very different childhoods. Tara’s was all about family. Camping, running up and down dunes, family reunions in the middle of nowhere. I was pretty much on my own. I wandered around London, watching all of the rich people, what they wore and where they shopped. And then there was the theatre. Once I discovered the theatre, it became my entire world. I didn’t even know what a sand dune was let alone want to run up one.

Tara slows the car where the highway skirts Little Glen Lake. She turns into a gravel drive that seems to run in a loop behind 10 or 12 very small houses with a tree studded but scroungy looking grass area in the center. She pulls into a space between two of the cabins. “Here it is!” she announces. She opens the door and steps out with a deep breath and a smile. I stay in the car. This is worse even than I imagined. What she calls a cottage is a tiny little house with a sketchy looking deck surrounding it. Outside are plastic chairs and a picnic table. Kids of all ages are running around, the little ones screaming. Balls of all sorts are spread all over the grass.

“C’mon Sophie.” She gestures for me to get out. I shake my head no. She sticks her head in through the window. “Don’t be like this Soph. Give it a chance. This place was important to me. I’ve got lots of good memories from when I was a kid.” I don’t say anything. Her eyes have lost some of the sparkle. “Sophie, I want to make more memories. With you. Please?” I sigh. “Ok. But next time you want to surprise me, think Paris.” She smiles. “Deal. Now get out and let’s check out my new cottage.”   
The inside of the cottage is even smaller than I thought. It consists of one room, the living area separated from the kitchen by a small sofa and a table. There are 2 smaller rooms. One has a bunk bed stuffed into it. The other has a questionable looking queen bed which meets the walls on 3 sides. I think I have closets that are bigger than this whole place. I peek into the tiny bathroom. There won’t be any tandem showers that’s for sure. 

“So?” she asks me. She’s bouncing on her toes. She so much wants me to like this place. I swat at a bug, wondering what I should say. I’m a pretty good liar but I’m not sure even I could convince someone, let alone someone who knows me so well, that I am OK with this. I take a deep breath. “Well, I can honestly say I’ve never been anywhere like it.” She smiles at me. She knows exactly what I mean but she’s going to ignore it and pretend my answer was positive.

She steps closer to me. “There’s one more thing about this place that I love.” “Yeah?” I ask. “Mm hmmm” she nods. “You’re here. Everything is perfect when I’m with you.” I roll my eyes but I let her kiss me again. This time, the kiss gets heavy quickly. Tara is working the tail of my shirt out and sliding her hands up my back. I sigh and lean farther into her. My hands are on her now, up and down her sides, into her hair. I pull her pony tail out and slide my fingers down the length of her blonde hair. She leans back, pushing herself into me, giving me access to her beautiful chest. My hands are inside her shirt now, pulling at her bra, touching and squeezing. She helps me take her shirt and bra off and I fall back into her. My mouth is on her neck, gently nibbling down to where it meets the soft skin on her collar bone. She moans. “Sophie. Come.” She pulls me toward the closet, here forth known as ‘the bedroom’. She relieves me of my clothes off and rolls me onto the bed. Her hands and mouth are everywhere. I close my eyes. Everything feels so good, I completely forget about everything but Tara and what she’s doing to me.

“What do you think now?” she whispers. It takes me a few seconds to put an answer together. “Amazing.” “The cottage?” “What?” She laughs. “Tell me you love it here” she demands. She moves her hand lower down my belly. “Tell me Sophie.” I shake my head. Her fingers just tickle me and I try to push myself up to meet her. “You love it here don’t you Soph.” I squeeze my eyes tight. “Yes! I love it! I love it okay.” She laughs. “You’re only saying that because you want something from me.” “Bloody Hell Tara! Of course I want something from you! And you are so going to pay for this!” She laughs and let’s herself fall forward to cover my mouth with hers. I resist long enough to make my point then let her in hungrily. She slowly slides her fingers inside me and I can hear myself moan with pleasure. She rolls me to the side and her other hand goes to my breast. 

She’s moving slow, torturing me. The more I try to make her move, the slower she actually does. I’ve got my hands up and down her now. She purrs as I drag my fingernails down her side to her hip then let my hand fall down her, coming to rest on the inside of her thigh. I kiss her again as I slowly slip my fingers deep inside her. “Oh my God Sophie” she whispers. I smile and stare into her eyes as I slowly increase my pressure on her. She begins to match my pace, slowly speeding up until I can’t think of anything but her body and mine and how good they feel together. I kiss her once more then close my eyes as the world explodes around me. Tara grabs me hard with her free hand and I feel her body move into mine. 

We cling to each other while we try to catch our breath. Very slowly, Tara starts to move again. I feel the warm tingle in my belly start to move through me and I catch my breath. I let her bring me to the edge and over again before kissing her deeply. Slowly I let my hands move down her beautiful body and I follow them with my tongue. She twists her hands in my hair and arches her back as I touch my tongue to her. She mumbles something I don’t understand and then takes a deep breath. She pulls her fingers tight in my hair as I push her farther andtghfarther until she comes with a whimper. She wraps her legs around me and holds me tight as I lay my head on her belly. Slowly she guides me back up her and kisses me gently before rolling me over and wrapping me up with her long arms and legs. I sigh contentedly and let myself drift off to sleep, the awful little cottage and tiny bedroom are completely forgotten.

Tara wakes me late in the afternoon. “Are you hungry?” she asks. “Mmmm. I think so. Is there anything decent around here?” She laughs at me again. “Probably not by your standards. There’s Art’s Tavern and Joe’s Friendly Tavern.” I wrinkle my nose. “That’s it? They both sounds awful.” She nods. “Well they are both owned by the same people so…” “So no” I interrupt her. She makes a decision. “You stay here and rest. I’m going to run into Glen Arbor and get some stuff. I’ll make you dinner here.” My eyes are already closing again so I agree. It has to be better than anything that Friendly Joe might serve.

I wake to the smell of pork chops being cooked in something sweet. It’s not much of a stumble from the bedroom to the kitchen. I wrap my arms around Tara’s waist and nuzzle her neck. “That smells amazing.” “I hope so” she says. “I’ve not got much to work with here”. She gestures to tiny two burner stove. “Hey, this is your place now” I tease her. She smiles. “Yes it is. I’ll make some calls tomorrow and see if I can update some of the appliances.” “How much are you planning on being here?” I ask her. She shrugs. “I don’t know. I guess that depends on you.” “Me? You’re kidding right?” She shrugs again. “I want you to love what I love. Just give it a chance. And besides, when I’m not here, I can rent it out, especially in the summer.” I don’t answer her. She drops the spatula into the pan and turns into me. Her hands are low on my back and she’s moving me to her. She kisses me then turns away. “Dinner’s ready. Grab some plates and we can eat outside.” “With the bugs?” I am as horrified as I sound. “Soph. Please?” “Ok OK.” I open the cabinet to a stack of mismatched cups and plates and I sigh again. 

Tara fills the plates with her wonderful smelling food and we carry them out to the picnic table in front. I try to ignore the “nature” all around us and concentrate on my dinner. It’s not too difficult. Tara’s cooking, even when we’re ‘roughing it’ is amazing. She pours me a glass of cherry wine she found in town and follows it all up with cherry pie. I swat at another bug and compliment her efforts. “You’re starting to warm up to it then?” She asks. I smile at her. “No. Not really. But I’m trying.” She smiles back as she picks up her glass and holds it out for me to touch mine to it. “That’s all I’m asking.” She moves around to my side of the table and scoots close. She picks at the food left on my plate with one hand while the other is resting on my lap. “You could make this a bit easier” I say quietly as I lean into her and nuzzle her neck. She laughs around a piece of cherry pie she stole. “Again?” “Mmm hmm. I did fly half way across the country…” She turns her head and gives me a sweet cherry tasting kiss. “Well, you’re going to have to wait a bit. I have plans for tonight.” “Me too” I try again. She tries to push away but not before I steal myself another kiss. “Sophie! No.” I pretend to pout and she laughs at me. She moves back toward me and kisses me with enough passion to make my knees shaky and my tummy do flip flops. Just when I think I’ve won she moves away again. Her voice is husky when she tries to talk. “I have something I want to show you first. I promise it will be worth it. Then I will make it worth it. I promise.” I give her a little smile and kiss her again. She moans this time. “Soph…” It’s my turn to laugh. “Ok Ok. But this better be good.” She smiles. “I promise” she whispers and puts her hand behind my head for another toe tingling kiss. 

Tara throws me a sweatshirt and pours me back into the car. It’s only a short drive into ‘The Village of Empire’. I check my map and shake my head. On the map, Empire seems to be one of the bigger towns but the reality is that its only one street with a few gift shops, a small grocery and the infamous Joe’s Friendly Tavern. Tara bypasses the hustle and bustle of downtown Empire and pulls into a park. On one side is a small lake and on the other, a sandy beach and Lake Michigan. She leads me through the grassy park to a bench on the edge of the sand, facing the great lake. She pulls out a paper bag and two coffee mugs and pours us some wine. She pulls me close and takes my hand. “Just wait Soph.” I sip my wine and stare out at the endless expanse of water.

I know that this is a lake, not the ocean but I have much the same feelings as I watch the horizon where water meets sky. Staring across the lake, I can’t help but feel small, like I am just an insignificant piece in a great puzzle. At the same time, I feel at peace, I am at home. Tara pulls her arm tighter around me and puts her head on my shoulder. I know she is feeling the same. How big the world really is, how amazing it is that two people can find each other, how good it feels to have that someone close. I lay my cheek on top of her head. We watch as the sun sinks slowly into the darkening water, the last rays of light staining the clouds red, purple and orange. Finally, I break the spell. I squeeze her hand and whisper “thank you Tara. That was beautiful.” I can feel her smile. “That’s not the only thing that’s beautiful. I’m so happy you’re here with me Soph. I …” I know where she’s going and I try to head her off. “Tara…don’t. Please? Don’t? Just be with me?” She sits up and looks at me, her face very close to mine. “Ok Soph. But you know right?” I give her a small smile. “Yeah. I know.” I kiss her again. I can feel all of the emotions that I won’t let her talk about. I know she loves me. I probably love her too. We’re good right here, right now. I don’t want to think about the future or what might happen if I let her say the words. I just want to feel her body next to mine.

I have my hand up the back of her sweat shirt. She squeaks as I rake my fingernails down her back. I kiss her harder, her hands are in my hair. I want to rip her clothes off. I want to move myself into her, to feel her body pressed tight to mine. I know she wants the same. “Soph…not..oh my God” she starts to moan. I take a quick look around. We are alone, everyone else went home with the sun. I crawl onto her lap, my mouth never leaving her soft lips. My hands are up the front of her shirt now, she moans. “Soph…” “Shhh” I tell her. I slide my hand down the front of her pants. As I touch her she takes a breath. “This isn’t like you” she laughs. “Maybe it’s the new me” I reply. “Mmmm. I don’t think so. I think you’re just trying to play me.” I smile. “Tell me to stop then” I say and press my lips back to hers. Her only reply is a quiet moan as I push my fingers inside of her. “Oh my God” she says again. “You want me to stop?” I whisper again. I push harder, making sure that my hand rubs up against her. She shakes her head no. “Good.” I tell her. I kiss her again until she can’t catch her breath. She’s squirming under me and I have to lay my weight on her to hold her down. She wraps her arms tight around me and puts her face into my neck as she comes with another moan. “God Sophie. I like the new you. I like it a lot.” “Good” I tell her again and rest my head against her. We stay until all of the light has been drained from the sky. I reluctantly untangle myself and we hold hands as we walk back to the car. 

On the way back to the cottage, Tara stops and buys ice cream cones. She insists that I get a flavor called “Superman”. Apparently it’s a thing around here. Its bright red, blue and yellow and I can’t imagine putting it anywhere near my mouth. Tara teases me until I finally give in. It tastes like vanilla but I still can’t get past the visual. She gives me a dirty look but she doesn’t insist that I eat any more and I thankfully dump it into the sink at the cottage. 

Tara tastes like vanilla and Superman when she kisses me and leads me into the bedroom. She runs her hands up under my shirt and off over my head. She slides her hands up and down me but I don’t need much convincing. I pull her down to the bed and she makes sure I am well compensated for sticking around another day.

Tara is up when I wake in the morning. I find her on the deck outside with a newspaper and cup of coffee. “Where’d you get that?” I ask trying to figure out how to con her into giving up her caffeine. “I went into town.” She sees the look on my face and laughs. “Hands off. I got you your own.” She hands me a paper cup. I take a sip and smile. Black tea with just a little bit of milk. “You spoil me” I say as I give her a quick kiss and steal part of her newspaper. We sit and sip our drinks and watch as the rest of the camp starts to come to life. 

“Is there anything you want to do today?” she asks. I shrug. “I don’t know, what’s around here?” “There are a couple of little towns around. Some cute shops. We can do the M22 loop around the peninsula. It’s not that far. And then there’s a concert tonight on the dunes. We can take a picnic.” “Sounds like a plan” I tell her. “Or perhaps we can check out the nice resort right around the corner…” I offer. She narrows her eyes at me. “The Homestead? How did you know about that?” I smile mischievously. “I have my ways. How come you didn’t mention it?” “Because Sophie!” she gestures to the scene in front of us. “I love it here. I want you to love it here too.” I sigh. “I know. I’m trying. I really am.” She smiles. “That’s all I’m asking.” “For you Tara. Only for you. But next time…” “I know. I know. Paris.” I nod. “Paris.”

We start our trip up the west coast of the peninsula. Tara stops in a town called Leland. She wants to show me Fish Town. It’s as awful as it sounds, an old dock with commercial fishing boats tied to it. It even smells like fish. I look longingly at the private boats and yachts in the marina but that’s not what Tara has in mind. She disappears into one of the shacks on the dock while I wander through the others. Most have been turned into little gift shops and I pick out a pair of bear shaped earrings made from local Petosky stones as a gift for Tara. I slip them into my purse just as she comes in to find me. “Got it” she says as she waves a small paper bag at me. I’m afraid to ask what she ‘got’ so I let it go. Our next stop is Suttons Bay, another touristy town with lots of gift shops. We buy ice cream again, no Superman this time, and walk along the park that skirts the beach. From Suttons Bay, we head straight north through Frankfort. In Northport, at the top of the peninsula, we visit a working lighthouse and wander again along the lake shore. Down the east side, she stops again at a place advertising cheese on roadside signs. It turns out that it is a working farm where they not only make cheese but wine. We taste a few vintages and Tara buys a couple of bottles and some of their specialty cheese. Following along M22 takes us through Empire and finally back to Shady Shores.

Tara stashes her treasures in the fridge and we change and head down to the dock for the afternoon. Tara is fiddling with one of the chairs someone left while I sit on the front edge of the dock and drag my toes in the warm water. The Little Glen Lake is very shallow and I watch a couple of kids walk most of the way across the lake until they become just black dots against the blue water. Tara comes and sits next to me. “It’s beautiful isn’t it?” “Yes it is” I agree with her. She takes off her cover up and leans back on her hands, her head falling back and her blonde hair cascading down. The little bit of breeze is chilly and I can’t help but watch as her nipples harden and poke at the thin material in her swim top. I can feel my fingers twitching, I want to touch her, but there are others around and I manage to control myself. Instead I stare, mesmerized, as the sun and small waves make dancing patterns on the sand under the clear water. 

The wind picks up and it starts to cool off so we reluctantly head back up to the cottage. Tara packs some food while I change into something warmer and we head off to the dunes concert. Once there, Tara spreads out a blanket then starts bringing out food. Fresh strawberries and blueberries. Cheese and crackers. Wine in coffee mugs. Smoked whitefish sausage and a delicious whitefish pate. I eat until I am stuffed. Tara crosses her legs and pulls me into her. I lay with my head in her lap, listening to the music while she plays with my hair. I sigh contentedly. I thought this trip was going to be horrible but I am really starting to enjoy myself. I’m not ready to tell Tara that though. I wouldn’t want her to stop trying…

When we arrive back at what I have started calling ‘the compound’, some of the young adults have a small fire going in the pit in the middle of the grass. Kids are roasting marshmallows and running back and forth. Tara and I are sitting in the plastic chairs on the deck, holding hands and sipping wine. A young teen girl comes running toward us then skids to a stop. She looks suddenly embarrassed. “Oh. Sorry” she says. “We used to stay in this cottage ever since I was a baby. I forgot we’re next door now.” She gestures with some sort of sticky looking concoction in her hand. Tara smiles and leans forward. “It’s OK Hun” she says. “What’s your name?” The girl smiles. “Lindy.” She looks at the mess in her hand then offers it to Tara. “Would you like a s’more? I made it for my mom but you can have it. I’ll make her another one.” Tara holds out her hand and Lindy passes the treat over. “Sorry it’s burned. That’s the way my mom likes them.” Tara takes a nibble off of the side. “It’s perfect. I like them crispy like this too.” Lindy wrinkles her nose. “I’ll get you another then in a few minutes” and runs back toward the group around the fire pit.

I peer at the slimy looking mess in Tara’s hand. “What the Hell is that?” I ask. “It’s a s’more. Haven’t you ever had a s’more?” I shake my head. “Oh you have to try it” she says. “They’re probably the best thing in the world.” “I doubt that” I mutter as she hands it over to me. I carefully take it by the cookies on the top and bottom and inspect it. It looks to be a burnt mess of marshmallow guts with a piece of chocolate sandwiched between two graham cookies. I pick off some of the blackened skin and take a small bite. “Oi! It’s sweet!” I exclaim and Tara laughs. She takes it back and shoves the whole thing in her mouth. I use my finger to wipe away some of the white slime on her mouth then suck it off my finger. The girl, Lindy comes back with another drippy mess. She hands it to Tara and runs back to make one for me, not burned, she promises. I make no promises that I will eat it whether its burned or not but then she watches to see my reaction so I make it good with a few ‘mmmm’s and ‘yummies’. She runs off happily and Tara leans close to whisper in my ear, “you’re a good sport”. “Maybe” I answer “but I think I may be going into diabetic shock.” Tara laughs. “I’ll take care of you.” I laugh. “I only ate it because she reminds me a bit of Parker.” Tara nods. She noticed too. The girl is still young, 12 or 13 but she is already tall and lanky with long blonde hair and sparkling green eyes. “She’s going to be something when she’s older” Tara says. I agree. “And she’s so sweet too.” I wave at her as she heads back to her own cottage with another s’more. She smiles and waves back before heading inside.

Back in our cottage, I take Tara to bed where I fold myself into her arms. I hear Tara whisper something in my ear. I can’t understand her but the words feel good and I fall asleep contentedly.

Monday morning starts much the same as the previous day. Tara has my tea for me and we sit on the deck, reading our newspaper and talking quietly. I wonder to myself how quickly I am adjusting to this new way of life. The plastic chairs and rickety table that horrified me just 2 days ago are as familiar now as the ones in my own flat. I’m not ready to like any of it yet but I will admit its growing on me. I’m not going to admit it to Tara though.

We watch as the various families wander out of their cottages. Some go to the lake while others hang out together in front of the largest cabin. The kids move freely between families giving the impression that they are all together. Best we can tell, there are 3 generations spread over 8 or 9 cottages. The matriarch of the group seems to be one of the women staying in the cottage next door to us. Tara stares at her as well as at some of the second generation younger adults. As the older woman crosses the compound, Tara starts muttering. “Oh my God. I think I know her.” “What? How could you possibly know her?” She explains to me. “The same families come here year after year. Remember the girl last night said she’s been coming since she was a baby. Probably her parents came before that. Some of these families have been coming for 30 years or more.” “And you think you saw her when you were young?” She nods, her eyes sparkling. “I didn’t pick this week by accident. We, my family, we always came the week after 4th of July. For about 10 years I think. Until my dad died. I think they” She gestures towards the crowd at the picnic tables across the compound, “I think they were here too. Of course everyone is 20 years older…”

The next time the lady crosses back toward her cottage, Tara meets her on the grass. They talk for a few minutes then Tara brings her to me and she introduces herself. It is indeed the same family that Tara knew when she was younger. The woman is warm and full of smiles. She invites us to dinner with them in Leland. I’m not sure but Tara jumps at the opportunity. She comes back and sits with me. “I’m so happy Soph. I was hoping but, it’s been so long, I really didn’t expect to find anyone I knew. This is so perfect!” “I’m glad Tara. I really am.” She smiles and takes my hand. “I have something I want to show you inside” she says, “and then we can go down to the lake.” To be fair, her something to show me was more like something she wanted to do to me but I wasn’t in any position to point out the technical flaws in her statement.

We enjoy spending time with the family and they insist that we eat with them at dinner time. The food is cooked each night by a different branch of the family. Everything is served family style and there is no lack of food. Some of it is questionable by my standards but I eat with gusto anyway. Tara offers to cook for the group but they tell her they have it covered so she makes sure that everyone is well supplied with wine and pie.  
The best, and most disturbing dinner, in my opinion, was taco night. It is easy to see that it’s the night that the kids all wait for and they were buzzing with energy all afternoon. After dinner, some of the younger adults brought out another tray full of tacos to play a game called ‘Taco Roulette’. It’s obviously some sort of tradition and, though the rules were carefully explained, everyone seemed to already understand. I declined to play on principle but Tara announced she was in. Three of the tacos were spiked with hot sauce and jalapenos and there was an unconfirmed rumor about dog food in a fourth. Everyone in the game takes a taco and the only real rule is that you have to eat what you get. I laugh when Tara pulls one of the spicy ones. No one admits to eating the dog food taco. 

Taco night is also birthday night. Cupcakes, ice cream and more pies are brought out as the kids gather to sing to the four in the family who have July birthdays. Everyone is smart and quick witted and they laugh a lot. I sit on the bench, leaning back against Tara listening to everyone talk and laugh. These people were strangers just a few days ago and now they’ve brought us into their family. For the first time, I wonder what it would have been like to grow up like Tara did with brothers and cousins and family vacations. I shake my head. My childhood made me who I am. I may not always know or even like that person but it is who I am. I wonder what made Tara who she is. We obviously were raised so differently and yet we both ended up in the same place.   
I sit up and squeeze Tara’s arm. She knows that means I’m happy. I kiss her on the cheek. No one seems to notice or care when Tara takes that as an invitation to wrap her arm around me and kiss me properly. I lean back into her with a sigh. The conversation, along with the wine and heavy foods have drained me and I can’t keep my eyes open. Tara agrees to a canoe trip in the morning and arranges for a ride for me to meet the boaters at the end of the line for another picnic. She pulls me to my feet and walks me back to the cottage where we both collapse happily into bed.

We spend lots of time with the family. There’s always plenty of food and plenty of alcohol, if we want it. We laugh a lot and get to know the various members of the family, 5 brothers and sisters with their grown children and several grandchildren. Others, like Lindy’s family, are tied by love rather than blood but Lindy’s mom has been part of the family since she was born, her parents having been good friends of the oldest sister. They tell me they’ve been coming to Shady Shores, the same week every year, for 32 years. It’s hard for me to imagine having a family like this and I am more than honored when we are officially ‘adopted’ into this one. 

Saturday morning comes too soon and we are invited to breakfast at Joe’s before everyone leaves for home. It’s another tradition and we are not allowed to decline. At the end of the breakfast, everyone leaves to their individual cars. All but Lindy’s family live in the Detroit area so they will see each other soon. I am delighted to hear that Lindy lives very close to Portland and I promise her that she and I can do some girl time next time I am in town. Before we leave, the oldest sister, the one who is obviously the driving force behind the whole event, gives us both big hugs and kisses. Before she lets go of my hands, she asks, “will you be coming up next year?” Tara looks at me but I don’t need her to answer. “We wouldn’t miss it!” I tell her. “I love it here!”


End file.
